December 1, 200916 yr I was thinking about getting a newish forester.Probally the first generation with a manual.Ive read alot of bad things about those 2.5s.Stuff like the headgasket being replaced 4 times before 50,000 miles or stuff like that.Any chance of all the issues like that being sorted out by now?Or is buying a used forester a very bad proposition from a reliability standpoint? Looking for a newer,more practical, snow friendly car rather than a $200 93 legacy L FWD..Generally would like something with rock solid reliability especially if im gonna be paying 5-6K for a car.
December 1, 200916 yr If you get a '99 and up they have the phase II SOHC engine. Much better. My Mom's has 234k on it and runs like a champ. They suffer from short-term-rear-wheel-bearing-failure-syndrome. Just know that you will be replaceing them every 50k. GD
December 1, 200916 yr Yes the EJ25 has headgasket issues but not as bad as the older EJ25's like GD references. 2000-2002 Subaru offered an extended 100,000 mile head gasket warranty campaign due to the issue. one huge plus is if the head gasket blows on the newer SOHC it doesn't leave you stranded, they just start slowly leaking externally but are completely drivable so long as you don't run them out of coolant. rock solid reliability is going to mean up to date maintenance on any used vehicle - complete timing belt job for instance. Foresters, unless you're talking new and low miles, are going to need a timing belt job and fluids changed - transmission, differential. look for these major items to have already been completed. it's not that hard to find one that has already had the head gaskets replaced either.
December 1, 200916 yr If you get a '99 and up they have the phase II SOHC engine. Much better. My Mom's has 234k on it and runs like a champ. They suffer from short-term-rear-wheel-bearing-failure-syndrome. Just know that you will be replaceing them every 50k. GD I haven't confirmed this yet, but supposedly the "fix" for this is replacing the Forester's roller bearing with the Legacy's tapered roller bearings.
December 1, 200916 yr I haven't confirmed this yet, but supposedly the "fix" for this is replacing the Forester's roller bearing with the Legacy's tapered roller bearings. I will definitely look into that. I'll be doing her's in the near future. They are making that humming at freeway speeds. GD
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